The purpose of this document is to provide a template for a council to draft a Strategic Outline Case (SOC). This template is based upon the HM Treasury Green Book Five Case Model and seeks to follow and build upon the Better Business Cases guidance.

It aims to provide a framework for structured thinking and assurance so that a project:

• provides strategic fit and is supported by a compelling case for change
• will maximise public value
• is commercially viable and attractive to the supply side
• is affordable and fundable over time
• can be delivered successfully by the organisation and its partners.

The purpose of the SOC is to establish the case for change and to provide a preferred way forward for senior management’s approval prior to going on to the more detailed planning stage. Completing the SOC includes:

• making the case for change
• agreeing the strategic context
• determining the objectives, existing arrangements, and business needs
• determining the potential scope of the project
• determining the project benefits, risks, constraints, and dependencies
• exploring the preferred way forward
• agreeing the critical success factors (CSFs)
• determining and appraising the long-list options
• recommending a preferred way forward
• providing an overview of the commercial, financial, and management arrangements for the successful delivery of the project.

The ownership of the SOC should reside with the public sector organisation, which should appoint a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the project. This should be an individual from within the organisation that has sufficient influence to be able to drive the project forward at different levels of the organisation, including at board level.

Developing an SOC can be challenging for a public sector organisation under pressure. It requires considerable time, capacity, and expertise across a range of areas including technical, procurement, legal, and finance. External consultants may be of invaluable assistance and their use (across all five elements) should be considered where the necessary skills and resources are not available in-house.

Experience demonstrates that an SOC is best developed through a number of workshops, involving key stakeholders, at critical phases of a project's development. This can facilitate the collation of information and add immeasurably to the robustness of the case and, consequently, to the approval and successful delivery of the project. The number of workshops required will depend on the complexity of the project and resources available to deploy. Green boxes within the guidance propose potential workshop activities that may facilitate the collation of information required.

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